It’s springtime here in Mendoza, which means our vines at our Private Vineyard Estates in the Uco Valley are coming out of hibernation and enjoying the mountain sunshine! We are also busy in the vineyard planting new vineyards as well as maintaining our owner’s established vineyards.

After pruning all of the vineyards during winter, the vines are now properly positioned to concentrate their energies on the spurs that remain. Overall throughout the year, we want to make sure that we optimize sunshine and right now, shoot thinning is important to create proper air- circulation amongst the vines as well as remove any shoots that will not bear fruit. These “just beginning to flower” vines can then concentrate all of their efforts on fewer shoots which will then achieve greater sugar and flavor concentration for the future grapes.

It is an exciting time of year for us at The Vines of Mendoza, as the vineyards start to develop their full canopy and transform the dramatic landscape into beautifully manicured vineyards.

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Aerial View- The Vines Resort & Spa

The Vines Resort & Spa Construction site

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Restaurant Parilla

So you have friends and family visiting or maybe its your first time to Argentina and you want to make sure that you experience the culture to the fullest. Whether it be foods you need to try or things you need to experience, this week I’ll give you a starter list of things you should try before leaving! Of course, I’ll start with food…

Food
Dulce de Leche: The closest food in American culture to dulce de leche is caramel. Of course, dulce de leche is much more delicious and regardless of your sweet tooth, you must try this. You can get your first taste in a variety of ways: buy a jar and eat it on bread or fruit (I recommend green apples), order it as a flavor at an ice cream ship, eat it in an alfajor (see below) or even take an artesan dulce de leche liquor shot.

Alfajor: Two cookies stuck together with gobs of dulce de leche and dipped in white or milk chocolate. You can buy them at any kiosk (convenience store) or stock up in large quantities at the Central Market.

Medialuna and Cafe con Leche: Literally meaning half moon, these sweet croissants are a must for any true Argentinian breakfast.

Helado (Ice cream): Not just any ice cream, but Ferrucio Soppelsa, Perrin or Grido. These three ice cream shops at the intersection of Belgrano and Sarmiento (Grido is at Espejo and Sarmiento) are rival ice cream shops, with Ferrucio Soppelsa being the chain ice cream shop in Mendoza and Perrin being the more traditional family-run ice cream shop. Grido is much smaller with fewer flavors, but certainly worth a visit. Everyone has their favorite. And, if you’re on Sarmiento peatonal, Bian y Nero is a must. You can’t go wrong with any of the flavors, and trying Malbec and Torrontes based flavors is of course a must.

Empanadas: I’ve seen empanadas translated as hot pockets, but I cringe at that comparison. Empanadas are made with much more love and taste a million times better. The traditional criolla empanada is stuffed with ground beef, olives, hard-boiled egg and spices, but other popular choices are ham and cheese (jamon y queso), sweet corn (choclo), four cheese (cuatro quesos), and vegetables (verduras). They are available at nearly every restaurant in town, and you can also purchase at corner bakeries or the organic market to cook yourself.

Steak: This one is a bit obvious, but the list wouldn’t be complete without it. Try it with chimichurri sauce and be prepared for large proportions.

Chorizo: Argentinian sausage that’s usually served at asado barbecues. If invited to an asado, rearrange your schedule to make it for this Argentine culinary experience. Nothing quite like the day long grill-out with friends and slow-cooked beef.

Morcilla and other “weird” cow parts: Morcilla, or blood sausage, will surprise you. It has a great pate-like quality. Give it a try, if not just to tell friends you tried it when traveling.  If you’re feeling adventurous, order a parilla, which generally includes not only traditional cuts such as asado de tira (ribs), vacio, chorizo (beef sausage) and chicken, but also morcilla (blood sausage), molleja (throat), chiculines (intestines), rinones (kidneys) and teta de vaca (cow teat).

Milanesas: Breaded and fried meat, similar to schnitzel. Very thinly cut, milanesas can be of veal, chicken, or even soy. Order it a la napolitana and you’ll get it covered in cheese and tomato sauce.

Check back for a suggested to-do list in Mendoza!

Carolyn is a newcomer to Mendoza and the wine industry and will be sharing her experiences as she learns more about both. A recent college graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill, she also teaches English at a local university.

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Yesterday wrapped up the final day of Oktoberfest in Villa General Belgrano (VGB) in the province of Cordoba. While Mendoza obviously touts the fine wines, sometimes it’s nice to take a break for a cold pint. Oktoberfest, also known as La Fiesta Nacional de Cerveza (National Beer Festival), is in VGB is for two weekends every year. The first weekend, September 30th, has a more calm atmosphere as the town gets warmed up for the long holiday weekend. Then the hoards of Argentinians and tourists alike swarm the quaint little German town for beer, beer and more beer.

But, let’s not forget all of the other wonderful aspects of VGB and German culture. There’s the German food, such as Brezn (pretzels), Spätzle (noodles) and all different types of wurst (sausages). There was even beer flavored ice cream. There’s also the traditional German outfits that performers and residents don for this special time of the year. As for performances, there’s pretty much always a dance troupe on stage at the Oktoberfest and if you get there in time, you can see the Oktoberfest queen crowned on the first Friday.

At the festival, everyone buys a beer stein the size of their choice to fill up at the stands. You can even buy a strap to hang the stein by your side. Then comes the difficult decision on what to drink. There are a few large beer companies who sponsor the Oktoberfest, so their beers are obviously readily accessible. However, you can get some great artesanal beers as well. Most of the artesanal beer makers have a blonde (rubia), a red (roja) and a dark beer (negra). I also saw a strawberry beer as well as a few honeys. Antares, as well as Homer Simpson’s Duff beer, were present at the festival. If you want to learn all you can about artesanal beer, there’s a daily tour through one of the breweries on the main avenue.

To get to the Oktoberfest, you can of course drive, but if you’re without a car, you must take a bus from Mendoza to Rio Cuarto and then take a Lep bus from Rio Cuarto to VGB. I, for example, took a seven hour bus to Rio Cuarto and then a three hour Lep bus to Villa General Belgrano. It’s quite a long journey so I would recommend getting a group of friends together and renting a cabin for the weekend.

Jerome Brewery, in El Salto in Potrerillos, also hosted an Oktoberfest celebration this year on October 8th and 9th. More than 500 people attended the celebration this year, just an hour and a half outside the city of Mendoza.

Whether you are celebrating October with a glass of beer or bottle of wine – salud!

Carolyn is a newcomer to Mendoza and the wine industry and will be sharing her experiences as she learns more about both. A recent college graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill, she also teaches English at a local university.

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Monica Blanco, Rudolfo Menissi, Gabriel Blanco, Ricardo Menissi

The Vines of Mendoza hosts Winemaker’s Night every Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. so wine aficionados can learn more about the history, techniques and vision of local wineries. Hosted in the outdoor patio tasting room, Argentinians and passing tourists alike can enjoy tasting some of the best local wines with the winemakers themselves. This past Wednesday, Gabriel and Mónica Blanco, who own and produce Mairena wines were our special guests, along with oenologists Rudolfo and Ricardo Menissi.

The Mairena Story: The Blanco Family is a full-fledged family winery. Of Spanish descent, the Blanco family wine production involves three generations, including Gabriel and Mónica and their five sons and daughters. In fact, the winery’s label Mairena comes straight from the family. Mónica Blanco wanted to name her fifth child Mairena, which is actually the name of a small pueblo in Southern Spain near the Sierra Nevadas. However, unlike other countries in which you can name your child whatever you like, Argentina only allows parents to name their child if the name is listed in a “permitted names book.” Unfortunately for the Blancos, Mairena had to be discarded. However, when they were considering the name for the wine label, they decided on Mairena because “they would take care of the wine like a child.”

Although the winery took up the family grape-growing tradition in the 1980s, it wasn’t until 2005 that the family was able to realize their dream of bottling their own wines. Starting with Malbec and Bonarda in 2005, Sauvignon Blanc in 2007, Torrontes in 2009, the family uses all of their own grapes except for the white Torrontes grapes they buy from Cafayate.

Winemaking Process: The family is in the process of constructing their own winery expected to be completed by 2012. All of the fields are located in Ugarteche, Lujan de Cuyo, which borders Valle de Uco, separated only by a hill between Lujan and Tupungato. This proximity gives the Mairena wines similar qualities to wines from Valle de Uco.

Ugarteche has an average height of 970 m, above sea level. The soil is sandy loam and its uneven nature favors isolation, which makes the land and excellent place for planting grapes. Additionally, the micro climate has a wide temperature, reaching 30 degrees Celsius during the day and dropping to 15 degrees Celsius at night. The winery uses a drip irrigation system and anti-hail nets.

Wine Tasting:

Mairena Torrontes 2011: It’s been just two years since the family began producing Torrontes from white wine grapes from Cafayate, Salta. This wine is expressive, explosive and fruity with a pale green and silver color. $38 pesos/$12 US dollars

Mairena Sauvignon Blanc 2011: A lemon-green color,  this Sauvignon is fresh and agreeable in the mouth and has fresh aroma notes of pineapple, grass, and citric fruits. It was noted during the tasting that is has a hint of ruda, which is commonly recognized in Sauvignon Blancs. Ruda is an Argentinean plant with a strong odor. In fact, the family says that it only ripens its Sauvignon Blanc grapes 80% so the wine will not lose its citric notes to this strong scent. With a short finish, this light and lively wine would pair well with sushi, ceviche, cheeses or enjoyed as an aperitif. $38 pesos/$12 US dollars

Mairena Malbec 2010:  A beautiful violet color, this Malbec maintains red fruit and plum primary colors as its complimented with secondary aromas of chocolate, coffee and cinnamon. Very delicate with smooth tannins that fill the mouth. Oak staves are inserted into the wine to create this elegant and feminine Malbec.~$45 pesos/$15 US dollars

Mairena Bonarda 2010: A deep violet characteristic of the Bonarda varietal, this wine has aroma hints of red fruits and blackberries as well as coffee and tobacco. As a single varietal, this Bonarda has lots of potential. $19 US dollars

Mairena Blend Reserve (30% Bonarda, 70% Malbec): When the family began making their own wine in 2005, Gabriel wanted to differentiate his family’s winery by focusing on Bonarda. The Menissi brothers insisted on taking advantage of Argentina’s powerhouse Malbec grape. So they decided to do both. This blend captures the family’s two opening stars with cherry and plum notes from the Malbec and raspberries from the Bonarda. Complex, balanced and pleasant with a slight sweet flavor and mild tannins. $90 pesos/ $39 U.S. dollars

Interesting Fact: Adding to the family bodega concept, Mairena’s two oenologists, Rudolfo and Ricardo Menissi, are brothers.

Winemaker Quotation: “You have to make what the market demands. But you also have to provide high quality,” said Gabriel Blanco.

Winemaker Night at The Vines of Mendoza Tasting Room | 7-9pm every Wednesday | $40 pesos  

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“This festival gives us a chance to showcase Mendoza’s excellent wines, in addition to giving people the opportunity to get out and visit the wineries,” said Luifer Torres, an associate at Bodegas de Argentina, whose company represents and unifies more than 220 Argentinean wineries. ”Our company is proud to support two of Argentina’s most important pastimes.”

On the final weekend of Tangos por Los Caminos del Vino, I had the chance to attend an evening affair at the Hotel Intercontinental Wine Bar, and Norton Winery on the following Sunday morning. It was interesting to compare the two events as they both had unique atmospheres.

Hotel Intercontinental: Dúo Elbi Olalla & Victoria Di Raimondo gave a passionate performance, singing a collection of tango songs while a couple danced. The hotel served guests Kaiken Malbec, one of my favorite wines, and overall, the one-hour event was quite formal. I was very happy to see two strong females not only singing the lead for tango, but also playing the piano, which is somewhat rare in Latino society.

Norton Winery: On a bright Sunday morning, my friends and I headed out to Norton winery in Lujan de Cuyo. The winery started the morning with individual mini-bottle of champagne as they band warmed up and guests sat outside with the beautiful vineyard surrounding us. The affair had more of a feel like a comfortable Sunday brunch–beautiful weather, scenery, people and food. Then the band, Colectivo Tango began to play a more modern style of tango. I stared in amazement as two couples danced on a small stage, gracefully gliding carelessly and seamlessly. The winery also hosted a fashion show to showcase a local designer’s work.

The festival was well worth attending, and one I hope to experience again in the future.

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Friends at the Vines' Sensory Experience

Wet earth. Licorice. Mushrooms. Perhaps these aren’t the first aromas you search for in a wine. My family and I recently underwent a “sensory experience” at the Vines of Mendoza. We were led into a private tasting room and guided by sommeliers to try a variety of containers with different scents. While some were easy to identify, such as cinnamon, others were more challenging, like leather or black currant. It was fun passing around the different aromas and trying to guess what is was, but it was also educational. For me, my mind often recalls an aroma within the wine, but can’t put a name to it.

We then smelled and tasted five different local wines:

Montecinco 2009, 100% Malbec: Cedar, spice, blackberry, peppery and floral notes

Urraca Primera Blend 2006, 36% Malbec, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot: Plum, red quince

Pulenta Estate Gran Cabernet Franc 2008: Ripe blackberry, cinnamon, black pepper

Monteviejo Blend 2006, 80% Malbec, 20% Syrah: black cherries, clove, caramel, smoke

Mendel Unus 2008, 70% Malbec, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon: spice box, incense, lavender, earth notes, black currant, blackberry, hint of balsamic

I recently heard the anecdote from a sommelier that when she was a little girl, she was a very picky and precocious child so whenever she ate anything, she had to smell it first. However, little did she know, that her smelling habits would pay off and train her mind to recognize scents in wine later on in life. They say in the wine world, Taste, Taste, Taste. Perhaps we should add, Smell, Smell, Smell. I now find myself smelling everything when I’m cooking: fruits, spices, sweets. It truly heightens your awareness of the flavors that you can actually experience in the wines. Even more interesting are the personal flavors people recognize from their memory. Perhaps a certain floral aroma reminds you of a lavender perfume your mother wore growing up or a specific spice, like cloves, reminds you of Christmas, depending on where you’re from. Everyone’s pallet is different, so what one person may smell or taste in the wine can be different from someone else’s. For example, in the Pulenta Estate Gran Cabernet Franc 2008, I sense an overwhelming scent of fresh green pepper. I couldn’t believe it wasn’t listed as an aroma for the wine. However, it doesn’t mean necessarily that you’re wrong if it’s not listed on the bottle.

Interesting facts on Detecting Aromas:

Of the five senses, smell is the most acute, approximately 1,000 times more sensitive than the sense of taste.

Smell and taste are the chemical senses because their receptors are stimulated by chemical molecules, rather than by energy from light, pressure, or sound.

While smell is the most easily stimulated of the human senses, it is also the most fragile. There is a great variation between individuals in the elements to which they are sensitive. A person’s absolute threshold is the smallest amount of stimulus required to produce a sensation. Once that threshold is reached, unless trained, the individual can only recognize and unconsciously catalog the smell as either “familiar” or “new.”

To date, scientists have cataloged over 17,000 different smells; about 10,000 can be distinguished by humans.

Sources: LaMar, J. (2011, Sept 27). Sensory user’s manual. Retrieved from http://www.winepros.org/wine101/sensory_guide.htm

Happily, with training, concentration, and practice, nearly anyone can learn to dissect and describe complex aromas!

Carolyn is a newcomer to Mendoza and the wine industry and will be sharing her experiences as she learns more about both. A recent college graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill, she also teaches English at a local university.

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Monte Cinco Owner Arturo Berdona (left) with Oenologist Marcos Maza (middle) at the Vines of Mendoza’ Winemakers’ Night

Yesterday was officially the first day of spring in Mendoza, as well as Students’ Day. We decided to join the celebration by hosting a Winemakers’ Night on our patio with the boutique family winery Monte Cinco.

Who are they: Monte Cinco as a label started ten years ago with Malbec in the Agrelo region of Lujan de Cuyo. However, the Berdona family has been involved in wine since the beginning of the 1900s when they moved from Viamonte, Italy to South America. First trying to settle in Brazil, the family moved on to Mendoza, Argentina, where they found the right conditions to grow their grapes. Thus, this long family history of winemaking has yielded vines as old as 85 years on their land.

Winemaking Process: The grapes are handpicked April 7-10 in one harvest and stored in 14 kg plastic boxes and then transported and destemmed at the winery. The grapes then go through a double selection process to ensure the best grapes are chosen for Monte Cinco wine. Before being fermented, the grapes go through cold maceration for three to four days. Maceration is the process in which tannins, anthocyanins and flavor compounds are leached from the grapes skins, seeds and stems into the must. This is how red wine gets its color. Cold maceration specifically keeps temperatures low to encourage extraction by water and added sulfur dioxide rather than relying principally on heat and alcohol to act as a solvent. The wines are then fermented in stainless steel tanks and fermented with selected yeasts and then aged in American and French oak barrels. The winemaker mentioned that the winery prefers to use American oak barrels.

Wine Tasting:

Petit Verdot 2007: The wine aged 4 months in oak barrel and 11 months in bottle. An intense violet color (the cold maceration seems to have intensified all of the hues of Monte Cinco’s wines), the Petit Verdot has complex aromas of spices and chocolate with a nice structure and a medium finish.

Malbec 2007: A well-balanced Malbec with an intense red color and violet tones. A very smooth texture with aromas of red fruits, spices and a hint of vanilla and chocolate. I personally preferred the 2007 over the 2009 for its pleasing smooth texture.

Malbec 2009: This wine was rated 92 points by Wine Enthusiast magazine. The magazine describes the wine in its review as “Cedar and spice are the lead aromas, and beyond that there’s blackberry, pepper and floral notes that rain complexity down on the bouquet. The palate is superrich, a bit tannic and deep as night, with black fruit, espresso, syrup and spice flavors. Finishes brawny and long, with toasty richness. Drink now through 2013.”

Interesting Fact:

Monte Cinco has won many awards for its wine including the Grand Gold Medal at the 2008 International Malbec Competition and the 2003 Gold Medal Malbec Award at Vinandino. Because the winery won the Vinandino award on an odd year (2003), the winery only releases wines on odd years to continue the success.

Winemaker Quotation: “Petit Verdot reaches higher quality in Argentina and will one day make history here.”

Learn more about Monte Cinco wines by watching our interview with him in 2009.

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August is a month full of history for Mendoza. First of all, August 17 is el dia de San Martin, or the day that Argentina commemorates the death of the most important leader in Argentina’s emancipation from Spain. You can’t find a town in Argentina that doesn’t have a San Martin street. In actuality, he’s not only a national hero in Argentine, but in Chile and Peru as well. General San Martin holds particular importance in Mendoza and the Cuyo region where he was governor, trained his famous “Army of the Andes,” and planned a devisive disinformation campaign to confuse the Spaniards by sending messages on what passageway his army would take through the Andes, allowing the message to fall into enemy hands and then going the opposite way as the message indicated. Not only does Mendoza have several streets named after him (including one of the most important), there’s also Parque de General San Martin (General San Martin Park) and Cerro de la Gloria (Glory Hill dedicated to his army).

Additionally, last weekend marked the beginning of elections and August 16 is University Day for UNCuyo, celebrating its 72nd anniversary. In light of these many historic events and celebrations, I’d like to spotlight one of Mendoza’s most historic wineries: La Rural.

This 100-year-old colonial style bodega is located in Coquimbito, one of Argentina’s oldest viticultural zones. In addition to producing great Argentine wines, La Rural also houses a museum of antique tools and other objects that were used to make wine in Argentina during the nineteenth century. As a result, the winery’s tour is like taking a trip back in time where you can appreciate the labor and sacrifice that went into wine production a century ago.

Today, the winery has a stainless steel tank capacity of ten million liters and uses modern equipment to ferment and preserve its fine red and white wines. Using grapes from its four Mendoza vineyards, La Rural is much more than an old-fashioned curiosity – this thriving bodega exports wines throughout the world and has helped promote increasing demand for Argentine wine among international consumers.

 Address: Montecaseros 2625 – Coquimbito
Phone: (261) 497-2013
Email: museo(at)bodegalarural.com.ar
Website: www.larural.com
Hours: Monday to Saturday from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm every 30 mins. / Sunday from 10am to 1pm every 1 hour
Reservations Required: Only for groups over 20

Brands: Rutini, San Felipe, Trumpeter, Pequeña Vasija
Recommended Wines: Rutini label varietals, especially the Rutini Malbec.

Carolyn is a newcomer to Mendoza and the wine industry and will be sharing her experiences as she learns more about both. A recent college graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill, she also teaches English at a local university.

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It’s always such a treat whenever anyone comes to visit because it means it’s time to visit the wineries. This time around was no exception and visiting the wineries at this time of the year is especially nice because they’re not very busy and you get most individualized attention. Do wear a coat for the chilly cement cellars.

Anyhow, after visiting Pulenta Estate today, I had to write something up because of the very thorough explanations we received from our tour guide, Soledad. Sometimes when visiting wineries, the tour guides assume you already know as much as they do and only tell a few unique characteristics about their own winery. However, even after arriving a bit late (Argentinean time, right?), we got a rundown start to finish on how wine is made in general and the special characteristics of Mendoza’s wine region.  

Pulenta is a medium-sized bodega located in Alta Agrelo in Lujan de Cuyo. The winery is dedicated to only producing a limited amount of fine wines so they only select a portion of their grapes for their wines and sell the rest to other wineries (for example, they sell some of their grapes to Chandon for their sparkling wine). The Pulenta family has been involved in wineries for three generations and used to own Trapiche winery before they sold it within the last decade and then opened Pulenta in 2002. Antonio Pulenta is 93 years old and credits his longevity to lifelong wine drinking. If you’d like to try their wines beforehand, their lines are (from lowest to highest): La Flor, Pulenta Estate  and Pulenta Gran Corte.  The visit ranges from 30-60 pesos, depending on how many wines you’d like to taste.

http://www.pulentaestate.com

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